Premier Global Bakery Inks Deal to Roll out New Locations in Northern California

Sunnyvale, CA (RestaurantNews.com) The fast casual bakery-café franchise with more than 3,700 worldwide locations, Paris Baguette, announced its first multi-unit franchise deal in Northern California. Local entrepreneur, Joshua Kim, will open the new restaurants in the growing brand’s most successful state. With 11 locations already open an operating throughout Northern California, Kim’s next location is expected to open in the first quarter of 2017 in the city of Sunnyvale, California.

Kim, who is Paris Baguette’s first franchisee since the company began franchising in September 2015, opened his first location in San Jose this past April. With a degree in industrial engineering from DongGuk University in Seoul, Korea, Kim grew up with a passion for food, watching his mother run a restaurant in Korea. He went on to open a string of Belgian Waffle stores in Korea from 1997-1999, further solidifying his transition from engineering to the food industry. Now, as the owner of Refresh Foods, Inc. and Paris Baguette San Jose, Kim is eager to further develop Paris Baguette’s presence, making it the go to bakery-café throughout the region.

“We expect the success in Northern California to act as a catalyst for further expansion across the state, inspiring like-minded entrepreneurs to get in on the ground level with an established restaurant brand building its U.S. presence,” said Larry Sidoti, chief development officer of Paris Baguette. “The brand is very well-known overseas, and we want to drive that same success and brand loyalty here in the United States by finding the right franchise partners that fully understand the history, international popularity and growth potential of the brand.”

With over 70 years of experience in the baking industry, Paris Baguette first debuted in the United States in 2005. With proprietary dough that is lighter, more airy, and less sweet than typical dough, its products offer guests a unique and sophisticated taste. The fast casual bakery provides its higher quality, value-driven experience through a combination of self-serve stations and over the counter service in all locations. Traditional locations average 1,800 square feet to 2,500 square feet as well as non-traditional venues such as airports, hotels and casinos.

Featuring high quality baked goods, savory eats and beverages, Paris Baguette currently has 47 U.S. locations stretching from the West Coast to the East Coast. Worldwide, the company has over 3,700 locations throughout South Korea, China, Singapore, Vietnam and France. Further expansion plans across the United States will focus on 18 key target markets including continued development throughout California and the Northeast. By the close of this year, Paris Baguette is on track to add 15 new locations.

Paris Baguette was born out of a concept which first began in Korea in 1945. As the company grew, it adapted to people’s ever-expanding palates, and the focus on premium baked goods led to the founding of Paris Baguette in 1988. Specializing in French-inspired recipes, the company uses proprietary dough that is lighter, more airy and less sweet than traditional dough to create decadent, unique, and sophisticated desserts, in addition to its offerings of chef inspired sandwiches and signature coffee. Currently Paris Baguette has more than 3,700 locations in South Korea, China, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States. After reaching 43 locations spanning the West Coast to the East Coast, Paris Baguette began franchising in 2015 and now has more than 45 locations with a projected 350 additional stores by 2020.